Archive - Jan 25, 2009

As CDS traders are aware, two months ago, or about the same time Chris Cox wanted to turn everyone that had even the remotest connection to trading CDS into soap, the DTCC started disclosing everything it knows (not all that much) about the CDS market on a weekly basis. At Zero Hedge, we are starting a weekly column that looks at the net additions and reductions, and ergo, net change in the CDS market, from both a notional and contractual point of view, based on DTCC data.

As CDS traders are aware, two months ago, or about the same time Chris Cox wanted to turn everyone that had even the remotest connection to trading CDS into soap, the DTCC started disclosing everything it knows (not all that much) about the CDS market on a weekly basis. At Zero Hedge, we are starting a weekly column that looks at the net additions and reductions, and ergo, net change in the CDS market, from both a notional and contractual point of view, based on DTCC data.

In a bet gone very bad, that if true would make Jerome Kerviel's $5 billion loss at Soc Gen seem like amateur hour, the WSJ reports ($$$ link with hat tip to portfolio.com) that the main reason for Merrill's massive $15 billion Q4 loss was due to some very large basis trades gone horribly wrong.

In a bet gone very bad, that if true would make Jerome Kerviel's $5 billion loss at Soc Gen seem like amateur hour, the WSJ reports ($$$ link with hat tip to portfolio.com) that the main reason for Merrill's massive $15 billion Q4 loss was due to some very large basis trades gone horribly wrong.